1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an original reading apparatus used in, e.g., a facsimile.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional image reading apparatus of this type, an original inserted into an original insertion port of a main unit cover is fed to an image sensor unit by a paper feed roller, the original is irradiated with light in the sensor unit, and light reflected by the original is received to read an image, such as characters, figures, or drawings on the original.
In a conventional original reading apparatus, the paper feed roller and the sensor unit are separately mounted on a chassis disposed inside the main body cover. Therefore, a length of a paper feed path between the feed roller and the sensor unit is increased, and a compact reading apparatus cannot be obtained.
A long paper-feed path causes a plurality of occurrence of jamming or inclination (skew) of an original in the path to increase. In addition, a time required for a preparatory step (standby step) for reading an original is undesirably prolonged.